The research investigated the concept of place identity based on the principles presented in
the model of identity motivation by Drostelis and Vignoles. The study was carried out in Pilsen,
Chicago, a neighborhood with a strong presence of the Mexican community. The major aim was to
investigate the importance of place identity principles in this cultural and physical context. The goal
was to learn how Mexicans, in comparison to White Americans, establish identity ties with their
environment. A number of servicescapes characterized by the use of cultural metaphors were selected
as case studies. The present work added further clarity to the relation between place and identity. It
provided evidence for the use of cultural metaphors in the preservation and development of a number of
identity processes. The study enabled to identify existing differences between Mexicans, the more
emotionally related to the neighborhood, and the White-Americans, the less attached group. Cultural
metaphors in servicescapes allowed Mexicans to express their feelings and emotions towards their
culture in different ways reflected throughout a variety of identity principles, classified into
psychological needs and motives, as well as social and symbolic links to places.
Keywords: Place identity principles, mexicans, white-Americans, cultural metaphors, servicescapes.